Why are my highlights grey?

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I notice that often when I print my negatives (TMAX-400, Plus-X, & Tri-X, developed with TMAX Developer)on Ilford Multigrade RC Paper and Developed with Dektol (2:1, two part water, 1 part dektol stock) for about one to two minutes, some of my highlights are grey rather than white. I've tested my safelight and it is not because of that. Since this doesn't happen to all my negatives now that I think of it, my guess is that my negatives are underdeveloped? Perhaps not enough agitation? Any suggestions? Thanks!

-- George (glee@haglerbailly.com), July 27, 1999

Answers

Actually, your highlights are determined by exposure. It is necessary to develop consistently, but if your highlight aren't what you want then change your exposure. If that doesn't work then it is your safelight, stray light or paper fog caused by age, heat or maybe something chemical.

-- Jeff White (zonie@computer-concepts.com), July 27, 1999.

I could see the following potential causes (except your safelight which you say is proven innocent):

1) Recently, I read that the fumes of sepia toner may fog papers. I am sure that other physical (heat!) and chemical influences can achieve the same. To exclude this, process an unexposed sheet, preferably in total darkness, and check whether it is base white after processing. For comparison, fix an undeveloped sheet to exclude the developer as the source.

2) Stray light reflected from any gleaming or white object near the path of light from the lens to the easel. Check the enlarger column, a white wall nearby, ...

3) A light leak somewhere around the negative carrier of your enlarger or reflection of light from the top of enlarger from the ceiling.

4) Lit scales of any instruments (timers etc.).

5) As one other post states, the highlight are determined by exposure (as are the shadows in the negative). So you could choose a shorte exposure time and use harder paper to get the shadows right. This will not give you a fine print, but it should work unless the negative were really severely underdeveloped.

-- Thomas Wollstein (thomas_wollstein@web.de), July 28, 1999.


First thing that u should do is to calibrate your systems. and see that ur negs are not "underexposed" or "underdeveloped" regarding fogging, u can test it out as bellow:

Take a piece of paper, cover it half way and expose it under enlarger light let the piece be there for some time or try taking it near to all the things that u suspect are fogging it. eg. wall tiles, timer scales LCD panels etc then, develope that piece if the covered side is pure white then be sure that u have messed up with the Shooting exposure, or the Developing all B/W people out there please correct me if I am wrong thanx

-- shreepad joglekar (shreepadjoglekar@usa.net), July 30, 1999.


One other suggestion is - make a print from a negative that in the past you have had no problem with , then at the same contrast, print one of the negatives you seem to be having this problem. If the problem continues - then these "problem" negatives might be underdeveloped. Increasing your agitation will give you a bit more contrast. - eg - once every 30 / 45 sec. rather than once every 60.

-- jim megargee (jim@mvlabs.com), July 31, 1999.

I think you've answered your question . The negatives are underdeveloped . As the old saying goes " expose for the shadows , and develop for the highlights. "

-- M. DuChesne (duchesnem@aol.com.), August 18, 1999.


You could try the following for determining your print exposure. Make your test strip from a blank frame on the same roll as the frame you're trying to print. The SHORTEST exposure time that yields a solid black is correct for the combination of that batch of paper, that batch of developer, and that roll of film. This cancels out the inherent "fog" - which is the density of the film base. If your negative was properly exposed, your highlights should print white. If they don't make it all the way to white, you should probably go to a higher contrast paper (or higher filter number for variable contrast papers).

-- Pete Olivier (pdo01@bellsouth.net), August 18, 1999.

I had a similar problem with my negs a while back and the best answer that I can venture to you is to watch WHERE you are taking your meter readings. If you are taking your meter readings of the highlights then your highlights will be gray. Your light meter reads for middle gray, so if you take your readings from a phase III shadow then that area will be brought up to middle gray and your highlights will be blown out to almost paper white with no definition, conversely if your readings are on the highlights then they will become gray and your blacks will be flat and without any definition. Sorry that I don't have a more technical explaination than that but I still hope that it may help you. If you find out or have any interesting discoveries that you wish to share please contact me via my E-Mail address. Hope it helps!

-- Peter Townsend (whoman24@yahoo.com), November 29, 2000.

Actually Pete Olivier has it backwards.

Set your printing exposure to give you the proper highlights (whether pure white or slightly gray depending on how they should look). Then you adjust the paper contrast to give you the proper shadow areas (blacks).

To avoid adding a variable, always develop to completion and time the development to make sure you are not under developing.

-- Terry Carraway (TCarraway@compuserve.com), November 29, 2000.


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